page_title: Tornadoes of 2015
section_title: April 8–9
hierarchical_section_title: Tornadoes of 2015 / April / April 8–9
caption_attribution_description: English: A large EF4 wedge tornado near the town of Rochelle, Illinois on April 9, 2015.
context_page_description: This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2015. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, Brazil and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather including strong thunderstorms, winds and hail.
  There were 1,265 tornadoes reported in the United States in 2015 according to the Storm Prediction Center, of which at least 1,178 have been confirmed. Worldwide, 109 fatalities have been reported: 45 in Pakistan, 36 in the United States, 14 in Mexico, seven in China, three in Myanmar, two in Brazil and one each in Italy and Russia. 2015 ended the very quiet trend of the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons, and was the most active in four years.
context_section_description: A two-day severe weather episode affected parts of the Great Plains and Midwestern United States. Several EF0 tornadoes occurred on April 8 in the south central part of Kansas, including some to the northwest of Wichita, Kansas, near the towns of Garden Plain and Andale. An EF1 tornado caused moderate damage as it struck the town of Potosi, Missouri, that evening as well. Several tornadoes were also reported from Texas to Illinois on April 9. A multiple-vortex EF1 tornado struck the towns of Clinton, Iowa, and Fulton, Illinois, and an EF2 tornado near Mount Selman, Texas snapped and uprooted numerous trees, damaged outbuildings, and removed the roof and collapsed a few exterior walls at a frame home.
  The most significant event of the outbreak was a violent, long-tracked, very high-end EF4 wedge tornado that moved along a 30.14 mile-long path across several counties in northern Illinois, killing two people and injuring another 22. An EF0 satellite tornado also caused major damage to outbuildings at the Summerfield Zoo near Belvidere, where two animals were killed. Two other EF1 tornadoes from the same parent supercell also occurred near Belvidere after the main EF4 dissipated, causing mostly minor damage, though one home lost most of its roof. Another tornado spawned by a separate supercell passed near Cherry Valley, though it remained over open country and caused no damage. Overall, this relatively small outbreak produced 2 fatalities and 24 tornadoes.
caption: High-end EF4 wedge tornado near Rochelle, Illinois on April 9.
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